Croeserw
Croeserw
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 Croeserw
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| Croeserw shown within Neath Port Talbot | |
| Population | 1,200 c. 1,380 |
| OS grid reference | SS867953 |
| Principal area | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Port Talbot |
| Postcode district | SA13 |
| Dialling code | 01639 |
| Police | South Wales |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | |
| Welsh Assembly |
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Croeserw is a village of approximately 1,380 inhabitants in Neath Port Talbot County Borough.
It stands on a hillside in the Afan Valley (also known as Avon) at between 196 and 299 metres above sea level.
It takes its name from the Croeserw Farm and 'woollen factory', possibly of the Elizabethan period, which was demolished for road widening of the A4107 road in 1982. A stone monument now marks the position where the farm once stood. Croeserw, meaning in the Welsh language 'Crossing-acre' (Croes = Cross/crossing + Erw = acre) refers possibly to the road crossings where the lip of the Afan Valley meets the upper reaches of the Llynfi Valley.
Old Croeserw consists of the older buildings and the large cemetery on the hill overlooking the A4107. New Croeserw, higher up the hill, consists mainly of post-war public housing, many of which are now private. A cluster of retail outlets including a post office, a former Co-op supermarket, now family-run, and an older hotel-pub are also located in New Croeserw. There is also an industrial park, and a primary school.
Croeserw is surrounded on all sides by hills and mountains:
It is known locally as 'Little Switzerland', and many of the houses on the hill bear the distinctive Swiss-chalet-style wide gables and long sloping roofs.
A woollen farm has existed in Croeserw since pre-Industrial times. In the 19th century, Old Croeserw was developed as part of the expansion of coal mining into the upper reaches of the Afan Valley. Local mines included Scatton, Avon and Dyffryn coal pits as well as numerous drift mines. In order to meet the energy demand New Croeserw was developed to house mining families to service the burgeoning coal mines. These houses were substantially refurbished by the local authority in the 1980s/1990s.
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Wikipedia